


Passing Muster

by afteriwake



Series: And Now I'm Learning You [7]
Category: Sherlock (TV), Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-19
Updated: 2014-08-19
Packaged: 2018-02-13 19:19:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2162106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/pseuds/afteriwake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yet another person Molly knows has his own opinion of her relationship with Khan, though this time it's an opinion much closer to her own, as Lestrade pays her a visit at work.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Passing Muster

**Author's Note:**

> And I do plan on bringing Lestrade back in at some point. Later. In a way that I hope will make people pleased.

Molly had been busy at work, finishing up the autopsy she'd started a little over an hour earlier. She was a bit nervous because this was one of Greg's cases. She'd seen him quite a few times since Sherlock had jumped off the roof. They avoided talking about Sherlock or anything related to that, and their conversations had stayed mostly about the autopsies she had done. The few times it had veered towards anything personal had been slightly awkward, mostly because she was keeping up pretenses that she was heartbroken over Sherlock's death. After a while he had stopped asking. But she wasn't sure if John had spoken to him, asked him to give his opinion or intervene. She honestly hoped he never brought it up, but she didn't think she would be so lucky.

She was just sewing the man she had been working on up when the doors to her morgue opened. She looked up and saw Greg standing there, looking a bit nervous. Inside her head she cursed at John. He had told Greg. This was not going to be a pleasant conversation, she could tell, and she was still feeling some ill effects after drinking an entire bottle of wine the night before. “I'm almost done,” she replied. “I haven't written up my report yet.”

“Take your time,” he said with a nod, coming closer. She looked back down and did the last few stitches she needed to do. “Was it poison?”

“It might have contributed to his death, but he actually died because he was suffocated. I didn't see any ligature marks or bruising around his neck so he wasn't strangled. I'll have more for you once the toxicology reports come back.” She looked up at him. “I hope that helps.”

“It does,” he replied. He was quiet for a moment. “Can I ask you something, Molly? Of a personal nature?”

She sighed. “You talked to John and he told you about the fact I'm living with Sherlock's twin brother, didn't he?”

“Yeah, he did. He's...concerned.”

“Why?” she asked, slightly irritated. “It's been months since I've spoken to him. It's not exactly like we're close friends anymore.” She moved around to the top of the table he was in and wheeled the body over to the refrigeration unit. “I don't think we were ever close friends to start with, to be honest. He was always Sherlock's best mate, not mine.”

“Still, it's a bit eerie, you know. You dating someone who's exactly like Sherlock.”

“He isn't,” Molly said insistently. “He isn't really all that much like Sherlock, even if they are related. He's a better man in many respects, even though he's done things he shouldn't have.”

“Like the criminal acts?” Greg asked.

“He had a troubled past,” she replied with a shrug. “If your family basically disowned you I'd rather expect it.” She motioned to the body. “Help me get him back in?”

He nodded. “All right.” She pulled out one of the drawers, and she and Greg were silent as they got the body onto it. Then she pushed it into the refrigeration unit. She watched him stand there, looking at her. “Does he treat you well?” he finally asked.

“He treats me very well,” she replied with a nod. “Better than he treats most people. I'm quite important to him.”

“How did you meet?”

“He came back to London after he'd heard of Sherlock's suicide. I ran into him on the street and thought I'd seen a ghost. Once I got over the shock and he realized I knew Sherlock he suggested we talk. He told me he didn't have a place to stay and he wasn't sure his family would welcome his presence, and once I confirmed who he was with Mycroft I invited him to stay with me. One thing led to another and we began dating almost two months ago.” She hated how easily she was able to lie to Greg, but he couldn't know the truth about any of it. “I care about John very much.”

“Yes, John said he went by a name other than his birth name. John Harrison, I believe?”

She nodded. “Yes. It was something rather nondescript.”

“I looked into him,” he replied.

She groaned. “Really? Do neither of you trust me to make my own decisions when it comes to who I choose to date? And don't you dare use Moriarty as an example. He pulled the wool over everyone's eyes, Sherlock's included.”

“I just don't want you to get hurt, Molly,” he replied. “I genuinely care about you. As it stands, he checked out under both names. I saw that the few things he got arrested for were relatively minor scrapes with the law. And once I initiated the search Mycroft paid me a visit and told me ever so strongly to butt out.”

“Well, Mycroft is the only person in his family he's speaking to at the moment. And Mycroft thinks I'm a good influence. I happen to agree.”

Greg tilted his head slightly. “Do you think he's going to be like his brother? I mean, cruel and distant? Because I remember the Christmas party fairly well, how Sherlock humiliated you. John humanized him, but not all the way. He was still cold sometimes.”

She shook her head. “I think John loves me, even if he won't admit it yet. And before you ask yes, I am in love with him and yes, he knows. He told me he's still trying to figure out how he feels about me and I'm willing to wait to see what he decides.”

He was quiet for a moment. “If you trust him enough to give your heart to him, I trust him too. But if he hurts you I will make him pay for it. I can make his life completely unbearable if I want to.”

She gave him a warm smile and moved over to embrace him. “Thank you, Greg.”

He embraced her back. “You're a good woman. You deserve to be happy after everything.”

She pulled away after a few minutes and looked at him. “What about you? Are you happy?”

He gave her a grin. “I'm starting to be. I'm dating a barrister I'd worked with on a few cases. It was rather casual for a time but I think it's getting more serious. At the very least we're exclusive.”

“Oh, that's good,” she said. “What's her name?”

“Alexandria, though most of the people close to her call her Alex. And I am happy to say I am one of those people.” He paused for a moment. “You should come have dinner with us sometime. If you don't think he'd be too uncomfortable, you can bring your John too. I think it might be interesting to meet him.”

“I'll ask John, but I don't think he'll agree. He's got a small circle of acquaintances and he likes it that way. But I'd love to join the two of you for a meal at some point.”

“Maybe in a couple of days?” he suggested.

She nodded. “That would be lovely. You can call me and tell me the particulars later.”

“And I think that's a hint I should leave so you can get back to work,” he said with a chuckle. “I'll call you in a day or two, once I can see what her schedule's going to be like.”

“I'll be waiting,” she said with a smile. “You take care, Greg, all right?”

“I will. Talk to you soon, Molly.” With that he turned around and headed out of the morgue.

She watched him leave, and then she picked up her recorder and took it to the office. She sat down and tapped the recorder on her desk a few times before setting it down and reaching for her mobile. She pulled up Khan's contact and then hit send. After a few seconds she heard him pick up. “Molly?”

“So, apparently, you pass muster,” she said, leaning back in her chair.

“Pardon?”

“Greg Lestrade paid me a visit and brought up that John had called him. He decided he trusted my judgment in the matter. In fact, he invited us to have dinner with him and the woman he's seeing. So at least someone else in my life approves of our relationship.”

“Would his disapproval have changed your mind about us?” he asked.

“Not in the slightest. It would have just made things really awkward, that's all. But apparently he checked you out. Whatever past Mycroft crafted for you held up under scrutiny, though Mycroft did pay him a visit and told him to stop investigating you. But he wasn't alarmed by what he did manage to find out.” She paused for a moment. “Apparently you've had a few run-ins with the law.”

“I know. Mycroft and I crafted the background when we were closeted together. Everything his brother did after the age of seventeen is entirely a work of fiction that we have agreed upon.”

“I've never asked for specifics,” she said thoughtfully. “I probably should.”

“There's not much to tell. Carlton Holmes decided to live under the radar. When he was nineteen he went to the United States without a visa and did odd jobs that paid cash, spending most of his time in San Francisco, since that is a city I am more familiar with. He did that for ten years until he decided to reintegrate into society. Up until recently he'd been in New York, attempting to find work in the science field, but he found without a degree doors were not opened. He heard about Sherlock's suicide a few months after the fact when somebody asked if he was related to the consulting detective who killed himself in London and so he came home. And you know the rest of this fiction because it's what the three of us decided had happened.”

“I should probably know more specifics, though. I mean, Greg might ask or bring things up when I have dinner with him.”

“I can go over all of it in greater detail tonight, if you would like,” he suggested. “Then you can avoid dealing with Mycroft.”

She chuckled slightly. “Any time I get to do that is wonderful.”

“You don't like that he has you under surveillance, do you?” he asked thoughtfully.

“No, I don't. I can understand why, but the fact he's done it since I started at the hospital angers me. He's controlling. I don't like people like that, even if they mean for the best to come of it.”

“Well, he's the puppet master in all of this. We have to play our parts for as long as it's needed. In my case until I die, most likely. Not that it can't be an interesting part to play.”

“Oh?” she asked.

“I get the chance to do things that annoy Mycroft and he can't do anything about it. That is the perk of pretending to be the black sheep of the family.”

“That is petty and I should chide you for that but I think I'm just going to encourage it,” she replied with a laugh. “He deserves a headache.”

He was quiet for a moment. “He attempted to dissuade me from continuing my relationship with you, you know. When we came back to London he came to speak to me while you were at your post one day. He pointed out the myriad reasons it was a bad idea. He said you would get hurt, either intentionally by others or unintentionally by me. He said it would just make everything more complicated than it needed to be. And he attempted to entice me into leaving your home.”

“And I know you didn't because we're still in a relationship and we still share the same residence. What did you tell him to get him to change his mind?”

“I told him the truth about me. The whole unvarnished truth. And I told him that you knew all that, and you had still chosen to be in a relationship with me. At that point he decided to trust your judgment.” He paused. “He'd guessed some of it, and other bits surprised him. He had gathered I was quite dangerous based on what I had done to the man in the alley. But you trust me, and that spoke well for me. I do think I unnerve him more than his actual brother, though. I gather there were incidents with his brother when they were younger, but he never did anything drastic. Mycroft knows I have killed and I did it rather easily and with little remorse at the time.”

“And now?” she asked.

“I do regret some of it. I've realized I've ruined lives and I don't feel like I deserve this second chance I've been given because I am still capable of doing it all over again if circumstances change. And part of it is because of how the aftermath affected me, not because I particularly think what I did was wrong. I know you don't like hearing that, but I've promised I would not lie to you.”

“I know,” she said softly. She was quiet for a moment after she spoke. She knew that while she had helped facilitate some significant changes to his personality he could always go back. She had to hope that if he was faced with the choice of being the man he used to be or being the man he was now he'd choose the latter even if circumstances changed. When she spoke again she decided to change the subject. “I'm surprised Mycroft never said anything about it to me,” she replied thoughtfully. “I mean, I could also see him trying to dissuade me.”

He gave a slight chuckle at that. “Oh, I think he realized he would never convince you to change your mind. Once you decide someone is worth your time and attention you give them all of it, without being selfish in return. But you also become fiercely protective. He would have fought a losing battle before he'd even started.”

She felt a sense of satisfaction at those words. “Well, good. I like what we have. I like how you are with me.”

“I really do think he sees you as a good influence. You were one on Sherlock, apparently, and he has hopes you'll remain one for me. And he's correct in that assumption. I find myself wanting to make sure you are content with what we have. I've already seen multiple changes to my personality occur and I haven't really balked at any of them. I think with you in my life I can make the best of this entire situation.”

“That honestly might be one of the best compliments I've ever been paid,” she said, blushing slightly even though he couldn't see her. “Thank you, Khan.”

“You're welcome.”

“I should be home soon. I just need to write up my report and wait for the toxicology reports to come back to add those results to it. Do you want to do anything specific tonight?”

“We could eat our evening meal somewhere other than at home,” he replied. “We don't do that as often as I know you would like.”

“It's all right that we don't,” she said in response. “I mean, if you don't want to go out on dates we don't have to.”

“I don't mind them too much, to be honest. I can tolerate your taste in films, and I suppose I could sit through other things you would like to do. I might even be convinced to attend a party with you. But I draw the line at opera. I detest it and I won't sit through one.”

“Well, how would you feel about going out tomorrow night for New Year's Eve?” she asked. “I got invited to a party by some colleagues at the hospital. The person throwing it has access to a roof and we can all watch the fireworks over the Thames. That's always been my favorite part of the holiday.”

“I could do that, if you would like. I suppose I do not have to socialize very much. I can be the mysterious and brooding man in the corner.”

“Well, it will mostly be people from the hospital so they're used to Sherlock and they've gotten used to you. You might be surprised at conversations people want to have with you. But if it goes in a direction you don't want it to I'm very much okay with you being firm about the conversation being over. I know some people are only going to want dirt on Sherlock.”

“And I will not give it to them,” he replied simply.

“Good. He doesn't deserve that.” She glanced at her watch. “I should probably get off the phone if I want to get this report written in any reasonable amount of time. Give me about an hour and a half to finish up, and then meet me in the lobby?”

“I'm upstairs, so you can simply call me when you are finished and I can come down to the basement.”

“Or I could come up there,” she replied. “I'm interested in seeing what you're working on.”

“You could do that,” he conceded. “Not that it's all that interesting. I'm just attempting to test a theory out about exactly what a serum made from my blood can do, but I don't have everything I need yet. I'm still trying to acquire it.”

“Ah. Do I want to know what you're trying to get?”

“It's best if you don't.”

She shook her head slightly as she grinned. “All right then. I won't come up to you. I'll call you when I'm finished and you can come down here.”

“Very well. I will see you soon, Molly.”

“I'll see you soon too. Bye.” She hung up at that point and then set her mobile down, pausing a moment before beginning to turn on her computer. If she wanted to have a pleasant evening any time soon she needed to get back to work, and since she wanted to have an actual date tonight the sooner she did that the better.


End file.
